No Win Situation
by Marauder's Mystery
Summary: When Katie Bell makes a bet with Draco Malfoy on the outcome of a Quidditch match, how will this affect her look on the one that everyone says is evil? Rated "R" for language and sexual situations.
1. The Bet

DISCLAIMER: I own none of J.K. Rowling's fabulous characters. If I did, I would die a happy girl.  
  
Katie sat, twiddling her thumbs in the dank, dark dungeons of the potions classroom. She was counting down the very seconds until she was free. At last the bell, shrilly chiming in all of its glory, sounded and she rushed out of the dungeon and into the sunlight.  
  
She strolled leisurely down the corridor, chatting happily with Alicia about the upcoming Quidditch match against Slytherin, when a drawling voice caught her attention.  
  
"Oi, Bell!" Katie turned to face Draco Malfoy, who was leaning against the wall and sneering superiorly at her.  
  
"What is it Malfoy," she asked impatiently. "Come to deliver some kind of idle threat about the match on Friday?"  
  
"No, not threats, just a bit of advice," he replied nonchalantly.  
  
Katie rolled her eyes at the blonde haired boy. "The day I take advice from you, Malfoy, will be the day that both of your flunkies create a cure for cancer, get girlfriends, and manage to pass an exam with full marks!" she retorted, eyeing Crabbe and Goyle, who's eyes were narrowed angrily at her.  
  
"All right Bell, suit yourself. All I was suggesting was that, if you want to win, simply dump Scarhead, the Weasel clones, and that cow that you're with," he gestured toward Alicia, "And you might just have a winning team," he said coolly. "But, probably not," he added as a sinister afterthought.  
  
Katie felt her cheeks burning and her fists clenching. "Listen you piece of Slytherin filth," she spat, an odd ringing beginning in her ears, "If you ever insult my team again, I'll feed your arse to the birds, understood?"  
  
He didn't reply, but merely smirked at her. The silence between the pair was deafening, and Katie couldn't help but squirm under his practiced glare.  
  
"As a matter of face," she continued, more to fill the silence than anything else, "I'd stake Gryffindor against Slytherin any day."  
  
"I'm sure you would," Draco replied, looking almost bored.  
  
Katie glared at him, frustrated beyond reason at his detached manor. "I would bet." she paused and looked around, desperate for something, anything that would entice his curiosity enough to respond. "I would bet myself.er.my services for a.uh.a week!" she finished weakly, knowing full well that it had come off sounding unsure.  
  
He cocked a brow at her. "Services?" he asked with a smirk, "Are you some kind of prostitute now?"  
  
Katie growled irritably at him. "You know what I meant," she snarled, crossing her arms.  
  
"I do. You'll be my servant, if you will, for a week, should Slytherin beat Gryffindor in the upcoming match?" Katie nodded at him and he grinned. "Care to make it official, Bell? Or was this just another of the pointless Gryffindor attempts at bravery?"  
  
"Katie, come on, let's just go to dinner. You don't have to do this," Alicia piped from beside her. Katie was almost startled to hear her speak. She had forgotten that Alicia was even standing there. But, to the remark, she paid no heed.  
  
"It's official, Malfoy. If.excuse me.when Gryffindor wins, you will tell every single individual in this school what a great slimy prat you are. And, if by some miracle, Slytherin should win, I will do whatever you'd like me to for a week. Do we have a deal?" she asked, her eyes locked on his.  
  
He extended a hand to her, grinning in a way most unpleasant. "We have a deal."  
  
"Katie, no!" Alicia cried as she reached out to take his hand in agreement. But the deal was done. She had clasped his hand in hers, and that was that. The two exchanged superior smirks, each daring the other to back out of the challenge, wondering what was going on inside the other's head. Finally, they let go of one another and went their separate ways.  
  
"Katie, I can't believe you would do a thing like that! I thought you had more sense!" Alicia exclaimed once they were out of earshot of Malfoy and his cronies.  
  
"Oh sod off, 'Licia, I know what I'm doing," Katie replied, much more harshly than she had intended. Had she been looking at Alicia that very moment, she would have seen the anger on her best friend's face flicker to that of shock and hurt before quickly resuming the mask of reproach that it had held moments before. But, she didn't, for she was too focused on the fact that she wanted that victory more than anything. And Katie Bell always got what she wanted. 


	2. Have A Little Faith

DISCLAIMER: As before, these characters aren't mine, just the plot. Read, review, live and love, but most of all, enjoy!  
  
"You did what?!" Angelina exclaimed, nearly knocking over her stew, "Katie, come off it! I thought you had more sense than that!" she added.  
  
Katie winced at the repetition of scolding in Angelina's voice. Beside her, Alicia sat, an "I told you so," sort of smile on her face. Katie scowled at the pair of them. "Do either of you have any confidence in me whatsoever? Honestly, haven't you even given the slightest thought as to what would happen if we won? The brainless git would have to waltz around school talking about what slime he is! He'd be a laughingstock!" Katie exclaimed, slamming her open hand of the table for emphasis and sending a fork catapulting into the air.  
  
Though she was giggling madly by the time the fork landed with a splash in Alicia's goblet, Angelina still looked as disappointed in her as ever. "Well, Katie, since we're playing the 'what if' game, what if we lose, then what will you do? Prance around as Malfoy's slave for a week?" she asked, her eyes wide.  
  
"Lina, think about it! When have we ever lost to Slytherin? That sort of thing just doesn't happen! If we play like we always do, there's no chance of losing, right?"  
  
Angelina just stared at her, prompting more frustration. "The two of you need to have a little faith!" Katie said, standing up. "You know that we're the best, and there's not a thing that can come between me and the sweet, sweet sight of that pointy faced rodent crawling around and licking my boots," she added, a dreamy look in her eye.  
  
"Katie, love, don't you think you're taking this just a bit too seriously?" Alicia asked, a concerned look settling on her face.  
  
Katie gaped at her. "Too seriously? Too seriously?! My freedom depends on our performance tomorrow, and I'm taking it too seriously!" she stopped for a moment or two, her posture dripping frustration. "I'm going to bed," she snapped at last. "I want to be ready." And she stormed out of the Dining Hall and up to Gryffindor Tower.  
  
Katie tossed and turned, her dreams riddled with possible outcomes of the match the next day. But, no matter the scenario, the result came out the same. Finally, she gave up on sleep, and went down to the Common Room to wait, for there was nothing more she could do. Wait for the sunrise, and for the new day to come. 


	3. Bitter Defeat

"And you're sure that you serviced your brooms last night?"  
  
"Yes, Katie."  
  
"And you said the mantra?"  
  
"Katie?"  
  
"I kick ass. I kick ass. I kick ass."  
  
"KATIE!" Angelina shouted.  
  
"What?" Katie asked irritably, looking at Angelina as though seeing her for the first time.  
  
"Calm down," Angelina replied, firmly placing her hands on Katie's shoulders and shaking her a few times. Katie stumbled backward and blinked a few times, shaking her head furiously. She stared blankly at Angelina for a moment or two, and resumed pacing the locker room, mumbling things to herself.  
  
I will not lose, Katie thought to herself as she took a seat on the bench. Nothing would come between her and seeing that arrogant waste of male reproductive organs grovel like the rubbish that he was. She was lost in thought when she felt a hand on her shoulder, and let out a yelp, jumping into the air. She glared at the hand on her shoulder, ready to tell off whomever it was that had disturbed her, until she looked up and saw Alicia gazing back at her, looking worried.  
  
"Katie, love, are you all right?" she asked, sitting down next to her.  
  
Katie bit back feelings of frustration and hugged her lightly. "Yeah, 'Licia. I'll pull through," she said, putting on a half-hearted smile. Alicia seemed to buy her act long enough to pull her into a tight embrace and smile warmly.  
  
"No worries, Katie. We won't let you down. Just keep your eye on the Quaffle, and nothing can go wrong."  
  
Katie grinned in spite of herself. Katie knew that Alicia thought that she was overly enthusiastic with Quidditch. But, Alicia never put it so nicely. With her it was more like "psychotically obsessed." But, Katie knew that Alicia was merely doing it to make her feel better, and she appreciated it.  
  
"All right, Gryffindor!" Angelina barked, shifting gears to Captain, "Out onto the pitch!"  
  
Katie stood up, and odd feeling of numbness settling over her. She grabbed her broom and began the walk out to the field.  
  
- - -  
  
Katie and the rest of the Gryffindor team stood in line, facing the Slytherins. Warrington and Angelina shook hands, each fixing the other with a deadly stare. Katie looked down the line of Slytherins, each looking condescendingly at her and her teammates. Her eyes came to rest on Malfoy, who was smirking as though the match had already been won.  
  
"Good luck, Bell," he said, his voice barely audible over the roar of the crowd.  
  
"I won't need it, Malfoy," Katie replied calmly, her eyes making clear the malevolence that her tone did not.  
  
"Players, mount your brooms!" Madam Hooch yelled, bringing the whistle to her lips. "3-2-1," the crowd was then drown out by Madam Hooch's whistle, and in Katie's mind, it was magnified to a deafening volume. Katie kicked off the ground, and was instantly after the bright red ball that had become her very world from the moment that whistle was blown.  
  
Alicia had the Quaffle, and was streaking up the field. Katie followed close behind, watching Alicia's every move. Years of training side by side with her fellow chasers had taught her that each of her friends did something specific, however involuntary, before they attempted a pass. She tossed a glance at Alicia and saw her eyes narrow. Go! She thought to herself, knowing that Alicia's rocket of an arm would be aiming the ball at Katie in mere moments.  
  
She brushed off an ill planned attempt at knocking her off of her broom by the Slytherin beaters and flew as fast as her broom would carry her into Alicia's range. She urged the broom to go faster, the wind screaming in her ears. Before she knew it, a red streak was headed toward the side of her head, and she rushed to meet it, her actions entirely second nature. In the time it took the audience to react to the fact that the Quaffle had been thrown, Katie had streaked up the field, the ball tucked securely under her arm.  
  
She raced toward the Gryffindor goal, reveling in the familiar feeling of the wind whipping through her hair, thinking of nothing more than her singular target. Bletchley, the Slytherin Keeper was staring at her, his face screwed up in a frightening mix of concentration and malice toward Katie and anyone else that stood in his way.  
  
She quickly grew weary of the game of cat and mouse that she had entered with Bletchley, and prepared herself to take the shot. The muscles I her arm were taut with concentration and in a split second's time, the Quaffle was out from under her arm and hurtling toward the goal. Not a moment later, she heard the deafening ring of the Quaffle going through the hoop.  
  
"Gryffindor scores!!" Lee Jordan bellowed, sending a wave of roaring cheers from the Gryffindor supporters.  
  
Bletchley was scowling horrifically at Katie, and she managed to stop giggling maniacally long enough to smirk back at him.  
  
- - -  
  
Katie was considerably more enthused about the rest of the match. All emotion, all feeling, had been driven out of her game the moment she scored that first goal, and it was evident that the rest of the Gryffindor team had become so as well. By the time she snapped out of her mechanical funk, Gryffindor was up sixty to ten. Suddenly, she heard a great blast of screams from the crowd. She looked around for a moment for the source of the uproar, and saw Harry and Malfoy enter a spectacular dive toward the glinting Snitch. Harry had a look of utmost concentration on his face, but it was a dead heat between the two boys. Katie couldn't watch. She stole the Quaffle from one of the Slytherin Chasers, who was watching the show in awe. She raced up the field and scored one last goal, desperate for anything that could keep her in motion.  
  
The ring of the bell, signaling the score was all but drown out by tumultuous cheers from the crowd. Katie looked about, grinning madly and waiting for the Gryffindor supporters to come and sweep Harry into their multi-armed embrace, but they never came. Instead, she looked and saw Malfoy, Snitch in hand, looking at it interestedly. He smirked up at Katie, giving it a slight wave.  
  
Katie was vaguely aware that the crowd was still cheering as she touched down, but she couldn't hear it. She met Alicia's pitying glance and Angelina's "I told you so" glare, but didn't see them. She felt Fred and George's heart claps on her back, but wasn't aware of them. Her mind was on the future, on the next week, as Lee Jordan's disappointed voice fell over her.  
  
"Slytherin defeats Gryffindor 160-70. Slytherin wins. Slytherin wins." 


	4. Meet My Friends

DISCLAIMER: Why are you even reading this? We all mow that these characters aren't mine. Read the story, silly, and review if you could be so kind.  
  
"Katie, you have to come out of there eventually," Angelina called from the locker room.  
  
"No I don't!" Katie called back. She knew that she was being childish, but she didn't care. It seemed that the last of her manic resolve had run off of her with the last of the shower water. Seeing that she had nothing to do but get dressed and face what was to come, she had decided to sit with a towel wrapped around her and brood in the showers for all of eternity.  
  
"C'mon Katie," Fred said jovially, striding into the showers. "Much as I love seeing you nearly naked, the sight rather loses its appeal after the first hour or so."  
  
Katie scowled at him. "Quiet you. I'm getting dressed. I promise," she added the last part to Angelina, who was looking as though she couldn't take much of more of Katie's stubbornness. At long last, she got dressed and walked out the door and up to the castle. She stepped wearily across the threshold into the castle and into the Great Hall. She wearily plopped into the seat next to Alicia, who was still fixing her with a worried gaze.  
  
"Katie, are you all right? What if he calls?" she asked anxiously, glancing over at the Slytherin table.  
  
Katie shrugged, staring numbly at her plate. "I'll just go fetch his bloomers from atop the 'Katie Bell is the slave to a slimy git,' shrine that I've created for myself, won't I?" she replied.  
  
She knew it was only a matter of time before he would call for her. It was only a matter of time before-  
  
"Oi, Bell!" Katie cringed at the sound of her name, and stood up.  
  
"Come on, Bell," she mumbled to herself as she ambled toward the Slytherin table, "You got yourself into this. It's only a week, only a week."  
  
"Took you long enough, Bell," Malfoy chided as she reached the table, "Have a seat."  
  
Katie stared at the seat, wrinkling her nose at it as she would a pile of rancid meat, or worse, celery. "Er. . .here?" she asked lamely.  
  
He rolled his eyes, "Yes, here, Bell. Now sit," he retorted impatiently.  
  
She sighed and took her seat between Malfoy, and a red headed girl that was staring at her almost interestedly. Across from them was a pasty girl that was fixing her with a murderous glare.  
  
"Draco, why is she here?" the pasty brunette asked, her glare changing to a simpering pout the moment she said his name.  
  
Before Katie could react, he had roughly seized her hand and placed it on the table, being sure to smirk at the girl the entire time. "Pansy, this is Be-Katie," he corrected himself, "She's a new friend of mine," he added; shifting his gaze to his hand on the table, still clasping Katie's on the table.  
  
If Katie had thought that Pansy's glare was vicious before, she had clearly been wrong, for the stare that the skinny, pug-faced girl fixed her with now could have melted ice, but Malfoy wasn't through yet.  
  
"Katie, tell them about us," Malfoy continued, running his thumb across the back of her palm  
  
Don't take up for him, tell them that you hate him, Katie raged inside her own head, but the glare on Pansy's face brought a smirk to her face.  
  
"Oh, what is there to say?" she asked slowly, her voice dripping like honey, "He's just so vicious, and so handsome," she continued, fueled by Pansy's mounting fury. "And best of all, he knows how to give me exactly what I want," she added, a pause between each of her last words.  
  
Pansy's gaze turned once more to Malfoy. "Draco, please, tell me it isn't true," she pleaded.  
  
Before Malfoy could fire off a clever retort, Katie had spoken up for him. "Sorry, Pansy. I'm afraid that it's true. Malfoy has stolen my heart," she cooed, leaning her head on his shoulder. He reached his free hand around and stroked her cheek, his eyes still locked on Pansy.  
  
Pansy just stood there for a moment or two, trembling with what looked to be an odd mix of fury and shock. Then, she turned on her heel and ran out of the Great Hall, the smallest of sobs escaping her as she fled.  
  
Malfoy smirked at her retreating back, and turned to Katie. "Katie, do you want to go somewhere private?" he asked, tossing a glance at Angelina and Alicia, who were openly gaping across the room.  
  
Katie lifted her head off of his shoulder, and studied his face, but it was completely unreadable. Finally, she nodded, and he led her out of the Great Hall.  
  
"Why did you do that?" he asked her suspiciously, once they reached the deserted corridor outside.  
  
She crossed her arms, any loving façade that her eyes had held before lost, "Oh, come off it, Malfoy. You saw the way that she was looking at you. I had to do it!"  
  
He cocked a brow at her, "Whatever you say, Bell. Get some sleep. We've got work to do tomorrow."  
  
"We?" she asked incredulously? "What makes you think that I'd. . ." she stopped herself, realizing the circumstances that she was in. "Oh, right. Good night then, Malfoy." She began walking down the corridor toward Gryffindor tower, when his voice made her stop dead.  
  
"Oh, and Bell?"  
  
She turned to face him. "What is it, Malfoy?"  
  
"It's Draco, Katie. I have a first name. Night, Bell."  
  
She nodded, and turned to leave. She walked up to Gryffindor Tower, and into the dormitory, and flopped onto her bed.  
  
"Goodnight, Draco," she mumbled thoughtfully, as she closed the hangings on her four-poster. 


	5. Close Encounters

Katie couldn't help humming to herself as she strolled down the corridors. All seemed close to being right with the world. Classes were out for the day, she had little homework, and she had overheard Bletchley being told off by McGonagall after he'd come running to her, complaining that Katie had cheated in the match the day before. She had decided to randomly patrol the corridors, for no reason more significant than she had nothing better to do.  
  
She rounded the corner, taking but the smallest of moments to laugh at a few first years, still stumbling hopelessly through the corridors, trying to find their way to the great hall amidst the masses of changing staircases, trick doors, and Peeves. There was almost a spring in her step as she watched the first years following her, doing their best to look inconspicuous. Feeling just a might evil, she twisted and turned around the school, leading them back to the spot they were previously, before telling them off for following her around.  
  
She walked away, feeling only the slightest tinge of guilt at the baffled looks on their faces, but still elated nonetheless.  
  
"Hey, Bell!" she heard a screeching voice, calling her name. Her heart dropped through her stomach as she pivoted to face the owner of the voice.  
  
"Can I help you, Parkinson?" she asked, annoyed.  
  
Pansy's lower lip was trembling with fury. "Y-You stay away from my Draco!" she spat, balling her hands into little fists.  
  
Katie raised her eyebrows bemusedly, "Your Draco? I'm sorry, did I miss the 'Pansy's Property' sticker you placed on his arse when I was feverishly groping it?" she asked innocently.  
  
Pansy's eyes narrowed, and her fists began to shake. "Stay away from him, Bell!" she repeated, her voice considerably losing the power that it held before.  
  
Katie chuckled and shook her head. "Whatever you say Parkinson," and she turned and walked away.  
  
She continued her strolling of the corridors, noticing, for perhaps the first time since she began attending Hogwarts, the paintings on the walls. She found herself in a hallway, filled with empty classrooms and throngs of the portraits. An elderly woman with grizzled flyaway hair eyed her suspiciously, and on the other side of the hall, a hunched over old wizard that appeared to be missing several of his fingers. The wizard glared at her, holding up a two-fingered hand and waving in menacingly. Her eyes widened as she began to back away from the portrait. She was nearly against the wall on the other side of the corridor when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She jumped, her eyes wider than before.  
  
"Listen, Parkinson, I told you that I'm thr-" she stopped suddenly when she realized that it wasn't Pansy standing behind her.  
  
"What was that, Bell?" Draco asked interestedly.  
  
"N-Nothing," she stuttered lamely. "I just had a bit of a run in with Parkinson. That's all."  
  
He sighed, looking frustrated. "Just leave her be, Bell. She's no more than a stalker, and not a very good one at that."  
  
Katie grinned, in spite of herself. "Oh, I wouldn't say that," she said, "She seems to have all of the bases covered. She's possessive, clingy, needy, and I'll bet that she knows more about you than you do. Am I right?"  
  
He smirked, "You could say that."  
  
He was looking at her again. Katie resisted the urge to squirm as his eyes freely traveled over her. She hated the way he looked at, no, through her. It was as though he was looking to catch a glimpse of something that she couldn't see.  
  
Later, she would ask herself why she gave in. She would blame it on the power of his stare, or her desperation for someone's touch. But, at that moment, her mind was nowhere but the feeling she had when his lips were pressed against hers. Her lips had been claimed by the one that she had chosen to despise. She'd given herself to him in an instant, thoughts of how or why pushed to the back of her mind, only to come bubbling up again a moment later.  
  
Katie broke away from him, taking a step back. She realized that, in her haze, he had pinned her against the cold, stone wall. She blinked once or twice, trying desperately to clear her head of the fog that had consumed her conscious being.  
  
"What. . . how. . .I. . ." she stammered.  
  
"Admit it Bell, that's what you've wanted for months. I've seen the way you stare," he replied coolly.  
  
Katie found herself toying with the collar of his shirt. "All right, I admit it. But what about you, Draco?" she purred seductively, "What is it that you want?"  
  
He didn't answer right away, but move his arms around her and pulled her closer to him. She was so near him that she could smell his cologne. She breathed in his scent before initiating a kiss of her own. She met his parted lips, feeling almost instantly his tongue delving into her mouth, exploring every inch of it expertly.  
  
Katie wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer still to her. They parted, and he lowered his read to rest in the crook of her neck, seemingly content to kiss it as his hands freely moved elsewhere. Draco's warm breath against her neck sent shivers up Katie's spine. She teasingly moved one of her hands down his back, slipping it under his shirt. Softly, she ran her fingers up his spine, his muscles taut. She was almost shocked by his muscular physique. How could she have thought him to be nothing more than a scrawny rat? Nevertheless, Katie felt his breath quickening as her touch became softer.  
  
Her free hand played along the waist of his trousers, and she heard him moan something inaudibly into her neck. She cocked her head to one side, her hands moving to his front, working at his tie.  
  
"Katie. . ." he moaned again, lifting his head off of her shoulder. He claimed her lips for his once more, but she could feel the difference in his kiss. What was exploratory had transformed into forceful, passionate, and confident.  
  
Once again, she pulled away from him, studying his face. What had been unreadable before was now completely transparent. His breath was heavy and uneven, his immovable hair had been mussed, and his heart was thundering against Katie's chest. She grinned at him, and he grinned back, and began walking her toward one of the empty classroom doors.  
  
"Well, good night!" she said cheerfully, slipping away from him as soon as he'd moved.  
  
"Excuse me?" he asked, dumbstruck.  
  
"I admitted that I wanted you, just like you asked. I asked you what you wanted, practically screaming for you to order me about. But, you didn't, and my work here is done. Pleasant dreams, Draco"  
  
She turned and walked away from him, tossing a glance behind her as she rounded the corner. He was still standing there, gaping. She smirked to herself, ignoring the feeling in the pit of her stomach, and the lingering taste of her kiss. She had control, and that was enough for her. 


	6. Warren

DISCLAIMER: As always, Katie, Draco and the rest are not mine. But, since I've been doing this for a bit now, there are a few people that I'd like to dedicate this story to. Bryn: One of the only reasons I kept going after chapter one. Dani: You've been so supportive of this. Thanks so much. Rosalie: Eh. I just love you. Linnie: You account for most of my reviews! Go you! And finally, Jackie: The other half of my reviews. I love you forever. That said, onward to the story! Review if you like it, please!  
  
- - -  
  
The weather outside seemed to personify Katie's stormy mood. The air seemed to crackle and spark, in preparation for a lightning storm of mammoth proportions. The sky was dark and ominous, scowling at Katie from its superior position in the cosmos. In the mood that she was in, she just scowled back.  
  
She walked about the corridors, knowing that she should be going to Care of Magical Creatures, but she was taking her time in getting there, knowing that, at any moment, the skies would open up, and the wrath of the glowering sky above would leave her water logged for the remainder of eternity. Finally, she abandoned all hopes of being sour, and ambled out to Hagrid's hut, where a crowd of her classmates had gathered.  
  
"Gather 'round you lot!" Hagrid bellowed, calling the wandering eyes of the students to him. Seeing that the class was now attentively staring at him, and the bundle of humming, multicolored fuzz in his arms, he gave a satisfied sort of nod and cleared his throat. "Now then," he continued, his tone considerably more affectionate than before as he gazed at the fluff in his arms, "What you have here is yer basic Fleffapod. They're on'y cubs right now, but once you train 'em up a bit, they're used in most of th' Love Potions that yer learning how to brew up this year. Yer assignment is to raise 'em up, best you can, so that they'll be ready by the time Christmas rolls around."  
  
Several of the girls in this class tittered with excitement, but the news only did worse to dampen Katie's spirits. Now, the entire seventh year would be fluttering about, talking of love potions, boys, and other such drivel that seemed to make sense to everyone but her.  
  
Hagrid then began distributing one bits of the fuzz, which Katie found to be individual Fleffapods, to each student. When he came to Katie, he handed her a pastel blue bit of lint that was trembling violently. She quickly took it, and held it close to her, worried that it would freeze to death in the dipping temperatures before the class was through.  
  
"It won' do you any good, Katie," Hagrid said sadly. "He's not shaking 'cause of the cold. He's shaking 'cause he's missing what all th' Fleffapods need ter live."  
  
Katie looked at him, confused. "What's that?"  
  
Hagrid ran a thumb across quaking Fleffapod. "Warren needs love, Katie. Some creatures need food and water, but Fleffapods thrive on love between two people, don't matter if they're friends, family, or anything. But, without it, they die," he replied, sorrowfully eyeing the shaking ball of fluff. "This one's hasn't been exposed ter anything pleasant in weeks, and if he keeps shakin' like this, he's not likely ter make it through the night." Then, he walked away, handing out the rest of the happily humming Fleffapods to her classmates, who all cooed over them.  
  
Katie looked down at Warren the Fleffapod, trembling and emitting a small sort of whimper as it huddled close to her heart. She heard the sound of the bell, and began to walk up to the castle. As the wind began to kick up, and the rain finally began to fall, she made herself a promise. She would make that tiny creature live if it killed her. Then, as she deposited him in a warm box, and began the walk to dinner, she realized that it might kill her.  
  
- - -  
  
Katie didn't even bother sitting with Alicia and Angelina at the Gryffindor table. They'd been rather huffy with her lately, and she knew that Draco would call for her anyway, just as he had every other night. So, she sat with the Slytherins, and Pansy. But, when she arrived, he wasn't there. Figuring that he was just late, she took her usual seat.  
  
Goyle raised an eyebrow at her, and she raised one back, surprised that he wasn't at Draco's side.  
  
"What're you doing here?" Pansy spat, spraying Katie with stray flecks of mashed potato.  
  
Katie wiped the food from where it had pelted her forehead, and sighed exasperatedly. "Same thing I've been doing here for the last three nights, Parkinson. Gracefully fulfilling my duties as Draco's personal servant."  
  
"Well, don't expect him here anytime soon," Pansy replied, an evil smirk twisting across her face. "Last I saw him, he was in the Common Room, talking with some girl!"  
  
Katie felt her heart give a slight jolt. "You're lying," she said at last, reading Pansy's face for any telltale clues that Draco really was with someone else.  
  
Pansy stumbled for a moment. "No I'm not," she finally snapped.  
  
"Yes she is," Katie turned to her other side, and recognized the redhead from her first night sitting amongst the Slytherin crowd. "Bell, Draco's 'studying' in the dormitories. He's rather hiding from you, unless I'm mistaken. You gave him a nasty surprise, walking away like that. He's never really been shot down before, much less walked away from when he was expecting to have his way," the redhead said, an amused grin on her face. "That took courage, Bell."  
  
Katie was taken aback by the girl's words. She hadn't expected him to tell any of them about what had happened the night before. Or, if he had, that he would have lied about it and told them that they had gone ahead and done their deeds in that classroom. There was no way it could be true. Draco Malfoy would never confess to losing a girl, would he? "How did you find out about that? Was someone else there?" she asked, nervously eyeing the people around her.  
  
The girl suppressed a chuckle. "No one was spying on you, Bell, if that's what you mean. He told us the whole thing. He was furious when he told us. Said that you had some nerve, leaving him like that after that kiss that you gave him."  
  
"He told you that, did he?" Katie asked, her tone unreadable.  
  
The redheaded girl nodded. "Every word and more. Personally, I think he's a bit scared of you, Bell. It could be just me, but it seems like you're all that he talks about. Granted, it's usually that he can't stand you, or that you're one of the cheekiest lasses that he's ever met, but it still gets old after a bit." Her tone was unclear. It wasn't as though she were trying to be friendly, but her voice lacked the usual annoyance that most Slytherins held when they addressed her.  
  
Again, Katie felt a funny feeling in her stomach. "Thanks, but I really ought to be going. It was nice talking to you, er. . ."  
  
"Zabini. Blaise Zabini. It was nice talking to you too, Katie," Blaise replied.  
  
"Right then, night," she said.  
  
"Hey Bell!" Blaise called again as Katie turned to leave.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"A Slytherin and a Gryffindor. It's never been done before," she said evenly, looking Katie over.  
  
"And it never will be," Pansy snarled, before Katie could make her reply.  
  
Katie just shook her head, a smile on her face. "Whatever you say Pansy," she replied. And she walked out of the Great Hall, leaving Pansy to ponder the true meaning behind her words.  
  
- - -  
  
Katie found herself back in the Gryffindor Common Room, unsure as to how she got there. She was feeding Warren happy memories with a charm that Hagrid had taught the class, hoping that he would stop shaking long enough for her to get attached to him.  
  
"Come on you great fuzzy lump!" she pleaded, "You have to eat something!"  
  
But to her words, Warren emitted a small squeak and began to tremble more than before.  
  
Katie felt her eyes widen, "I'm sorry," she repeated over and over again, cradling the mass of fluff against her chest. She had to suppress a laugh when she realized what she was doing. She was in a right state over the creature that she'd been taking care of for less than a day. But, she looked down at him, and she could see why. Curled up and trembling was the blue Fleffapod. He reminded her of cotton candy, the shade of the sky on a lovers' summer day. Two huge black eyes stared at up at her, and she nearly melted at the sight.  
  
"Well, Warren, you'd best stick around now," she said with a giggle. She stroked him for a bit, whispering words of praise to the tiny creature. She'd been doing this for some time when a thought suddenly popped into her head, and she realized what he had to do.  
  
Placing Warren back into his box, she crept up the stairs and opened the door to the girls dormitories.  
  
" 'Licia, Angelina, can we talk?" 


	7. There's Nothing There

DISCLAIMER: Bah, you know the drill. Not mine. J.K. is my hero. (But Sirius is just sleeping) Now. . .onward! Tallyho!  
  
- - -  
  
Katie walked through the door to the seventh year dormitories, expecting to see it teeming with girls waltzing about in their underpants, as girls have a habit of doing, but no one was there.  
  
"Sorry, Katie, Angelina's off being a devoted Quidditch captain. But I'm here, for a while at least," Alicia stated, looking up from her Transfiguration book.  
  
"Smashing," Katie said. She sat down next to Alicia on her bed. Where to begin? What was it that she even wanted to say?  
  
Alicia looked her over, smiling slightly. "It's about Malfoy, isn't it?" she asked, more as a statement than anything else. Katie nodded, still entirely unsure as to what she should say. "I still don't understand what it is that you see in him," she added, her eyes dropping back to the book.  
  
"Who said I saw anything in him?" Katie asked defensively. "He's a sniveling, foul mouthed, arrogant prat and I can't stand him."  
  
Once again, Alicia's eyes traveled up from the book, rising to meet Katie's in a look that plainly suggested that she didn't believe a word that had just come out of Katie's mouth. "Katie, love, give it a rest. I've seen the way you look at one another."  
  
"Pray tell, did it look something like this?" Katie asked lightly, shooting Alicia her fiercest glare.  
  
Alicia just giggled. "Oh sod off, Bell, you great fake. I'll bet that if you stopped being so adamantly opposed to feeling anything toward him, you'd realize that you don't hate him as much as you think you do." The calmness in Alicia's voice was driving Katie mad.  
  
"Alicia, get over it! I hate him. I loathe him. I detest him! Such is the way that it's always been, and will be until I get stupid enough to think otherwise!" Katie countered, rising from Alicia's bed, and crossing the room to her own.  
  
She hopped onto the bed and shut the hangings, only to wrench them open again not five seconds later. "So there!" she added childishly, sticking her tongue out and jerking the hangings closed for a final time.  
  
She heard Alicia giggling again as she shut off the lights. Katie turned to her side, suddenly feeling sullen and moody. She didn't like Draco. She reviled him with every ounce of her being. And she repeated that very thing to herself before she drifted off to a restless sleep.  
  
- - -  
  
She still had that very though in her head after a night of nightmares. Katie mechanically shuffled to the Great Hall, in search of nothing more than a meal, and a flat surface to lay her head long enough for ten minutes of peaceful sleep. Her eyelids drooped tremendously, each of her eyelashes seemingly weighted with lead. She brushed a few first years as she passed, prompting them to yelp and leap into the air. But, in the state that she was in, she couldn't even laugh at their vain attempts to cover their anxiety.  
  
She finally reached the Great Hall, and unconsciously gravitated toward the Slytherin table. Suddenly snapping awake, she realized that the last thing that she wanted that morning was to be hassled by Parkinson about her disheveled state. So, she walked toward the Gryffindor table, and sat next to Fred and George, avoiding not only Angelina's sardonic glances, but also Alicia's knowing gaze. She refused to let Alicia think that she had feelings for Draco. She cared nothing for him, and would long for the day that she could tell him so.  
  
Before she could catch herself, Katie found herself glancing across the crowded hall at the Slytherin table. The moment her eyes came to rest upon Draco and his nitwitted stalker, she saw him stand up, a frustrated glare adorning is features. He walked out of the hall, tossing the smallest of glances at Katie as he exited. Crabbe and Goyle followed behind, and Pansy pursued shortly thereafter, her pasty face looking to plead with him. Blaise rolled her eyes and followed, seemingly not wanting to be the only person left at the table.  
  
Katie smirked. She wouldn't follow after him. He had commanded her to do no such thing, and she would stay right where she was. She had breakfast to eat, and she would eat it. She would not-  
  
"Oh Merlin! 'Licia, we have a Charms test today, and I haven't studied!" she exclaimed, standing up. "I have to go study! You know how awful I am at Disillusionment Charms, and Flitwick said that they would be on the exam!"  
  
Katie saw Alicia's eyes widen. "Go study, now! If you fail this test, you won't be able to play the next match, and our reserves are crap!" she cried.  
  
Katie nodded frantically, and rushed toward the door. But, she heard her name spoken directly outside of the door and stopped in her tracks.  
  
"Come off it, Zabini! I can't, for the life of me, figure out where you get these things! I can't stand the girl! She's a twig for Merlin's sake!" Draco spat defensively.  
  
Blaise tossed her curly red curls over one shoulder and smirked. "Prove it, Malfoy," she countered.  
  
"All right, Zabini. I will," he replied nonchalantly. He looked around the corridor for some way to prove what Katie had been trying to prove with Alicia all along. Then, his eyes came to rest upon her, leaning with her back to the stone wall.  
  
Way to be inconspicuous, Katie, she scolded herself. She braced herself for whatever it was Draco had to throw at her as he crossed the room. She nearly flinched as he grabbed her hand and pulled her to the center of his circle of friends. And there, with no regard to who may see, he claimed her lips as his own.  
  
Katie felt her knees buckle as she tasted his kiss once again. His tongue dipped and roved, teasing her mercilessly, but always giving into her desires. One of his hands cupped the back of her head as his other began to run its course down her back, sending jolts of electricity coursing through her entire being. Katie found that wrapping her arms tightly around his neck was all that she could do to keep from melting into him and refusing to leave.  
  
He pulled away from her, almost tenderly, and looked into her eyes.  
  
"Katie Bell, I will never, ever, have any feelings for you of any sort. I will not love you, I will not like you, I will not let you borrow one of my shoes," he said evenly, his eyes still locked on hers.  
  
She didn't even bother removing her arms from his neck as she made her reply. "Draco Malfoy, I detest you in a manner that words cannot express," she replied, her tone just as flat and emotionless as his.  
  
Blaise looked unconvinced, but Pansy had run of in a fit of hysterics, and Crabbe and Goyle were grinning stupidly as they stared openly at Katie's chest.  
  
"Clear off," Draco commanded, pointing toward the door. "You two will be in the fifth year for the rest of your life if you don't move it."  
  
They plodded away, still chuckling thickly, and Blaise just sighed and rolled her eyes, walking away as well.  
  
"I'm a twig now, Rat Boy?" Katie asked as they were out of sight.  
  
He smirked at her. "You have no arse, Bell."  
  
Before she could respond, his lips were pressed against hers again, pecking them lightly. "That was for being a flat-chested twit. That," he nipped at her neck, "Was for calling me Rat Boy. And this," he said calmly, moving the hand that had rested on the arse was allegedly nonexistent to her thigh, and beginning to inch it up her skirt, "Is for leaving me that night." He promptly removed his hand, grinned evilly, and backed away. "Have a nice day, Bell."  
  
This time, it was Katie's turn to gape as he walked away. Minutes passed and still she could do nothing but stand there, dumbfounded. She was fully awake now, but all the same, it was going to be a long day. 


	8. Breaking Point

DISCLAIMER: Oh how I wish these characters were mine. I would be rich. Yay! Ahem. Not that that matters to me, or anything of the sort. Don't do it for the money folks. But do review, because that would make me happy.  
  
- - -  
  
"What. . .did. . .you. . .do?" Angelina asked icily, the moment she entered the girl's dormitories later that evening.  
  
"Pardon?" Katie asked lightly, looking up from her homework.  
  
"Katie, could you do me a favor and drop the act long enough to tell me what's going on?! All of us saw you earlier today. You were walking around as though Oliver Wood had come back for a visit and asked you to marry him!"  
  
"I did no such thing!" Katie exclaimed. She knew that it was a lie, but honestly didn't feel the need to divulge to Angelina the true reason behind her absentmindedness.  
  
Angelina scowled at her in a manner most unpleasant. "I don't get you anymore, Bell. You used to be able to tell me anything! Now, ever since you lost that bet you do nothing but keep things from 'Licia and me, and it drives me mad!" Angelina cried.  
  
Katie looked around the room at Alicia and the other girls in the dormitory. Katie silently pleaded that they would stay, but at that very moment, Alicia motioned for all of the other girls to leave, making it sound as though there were something that simply could not be missed in the common room below. In a matter of moments, all of them were gone, and she was left alone with Angelina, who looked more infuriated with her than ever.  
  
"Right, where were we?" Katie asked, tossing an innocent smile up at Angelina.  
  
"You were about to tell me why it is that you've forsaken all of your friends to go play whore to a silver-tongued Slytherin liar," she spat, glaring back down at her.  
  
Katie felt her jaw drop. Never had she heard Angelina use such harsh words toward anyone, let alone Katie herself. Angelina had always been the most mild of people, even to those that got on her bad side. "Angie," she stammered at last, "You can't mean that, can you? I mean, you don't really think that I would. . ."  
  
Angelina's expression faltered at her mildly hurt words, but she quickly regained her irate air the moment the next words left her lips. "I can't honestly say that I don't, Katie. You only snogged him in front of the entire world this morning."  
  
Katie gaped at her with wide eyes. She had hoped that no one that she knew had seen that. "All right, that may be true, but I couldn't. . ."  
  
"Let me guess, you couldn't help it, right?," she retorted coldly, "Just like you couldn't help nuzzling him the very first night? Just like you couldn't help him groping you in the middle of a deserted hallway?"  
  
"How did you. . ."  
  
"I was there, Katie! I saw the way you looked at him, and I saw the way that you touched him! It doesn't take a genius to figure out what he wants you for! Do you honestly think that he's going stick around once he gets what he wants out of you?"  
  
"He's not like that," Katie said weakly.  
  
"Merlin, you do! Don't you? You honestly expect that he'll stand by your side once he's used you like some kind of bloody Price Charming, don't you?" she said disgustedly.  
  
"I. . ." Katie began again.  
  
But, once more, Angelina wouldn't let her get a word in. "Katie, he doesn't love you! He doesn't even like you! For once in your life, look past the obvious and see him for what he truly is! He is a foul-mouthed, smooth talking, greasy-haired. . ."  
  
"SHUT UP!" Katie screamed at last, rising to her feet. At this point, she knew not what she was saying, but only that she wouldn't be insulted anymore by the one that was supposed to be her best friend. "You know nothing about him, because if you did, you would notice that he hasn't done a single foul thing to me since I lost this bet to him! But, you've been so worked over the fact that, for once, I'm not depending, hell, I'm not even asking, you to get me out of a tight spot!"  
  
This time, it was Angelina's turn to stare. She stumbled for a moment, trying to find the right words. "Fine, Bell. Do what you want. But please, don't come crawling back to me when you've had your heart broken by that snake," she said at last, her voice even and frighteningly calm.  
  
Katie crossed the room, leering at Angelina as she passed. As she reached the door, she turned to face her once more. "Thank you so much for your approval, Angelina," she replied, bowing grandiosely, "You know I live to do your bidding, after all." With that, she turned around and walked out the door and down the stairs.  
  
As soon as she reached the common room, she saw Alicia glance at her uneasily as she walked expeditiously toward the portrait hole.  
  
"Where are you headed?" she asked.  
  
"Something came up," Katie replied promptly, and walked out without another word.  
  
- - -  
  
She knew that she had a few good hours before students were required to be in the dorms, but was still slightly wary about being caught descending into the Slytherin common room. She made herself comfortable among the throngs of students making their way about the castle. Checking her watch, she realized that most of them were on their way to dinner. As she reached the blank stone wall she knew to be the entrance to the Slytherin living quarters, she felt a strange jolt in her stomach. What if he wasn't there? What if he had gone to dinner like the rest? She didn't even know the password!  
  
"Ehm. Pure-blood," she said under her breath, repeating the first thing that crossed her mind.  
  
Much to her surprise, the stone slab moved with a groan and revealed to Katie the Slytherin common room. She shuddered slightly as she entered the deserted room. It felt so cold compared to Gryffindor Tower, so lifeless. Her footsteps echoed as she walked the length of the room. When she reached the end, she saw a pair of staircases, which she supposed led to the dormitories. But, unlike Gryffindor tower, they were completely unmarked. She bit her lip and looked from one to the other and, praying for her second stroke of luck that evening, she crept up the set of stairs on her right.  
  
She passed several sets of doors until she came upon one reading "Fifth Years," in elaborately carved letters. She turned the intricate brass knob and pushed the door open, peering inside. Lo and behold, she heard the scratching of a quill on parchment, and her eyes were met with the sight of a certain august Slytherin boy. At first, she could do nothing but watch him, until she finally found her words.  
  
"Still hiding?" she asked softly, beginning to walk toward where he sat on his bed.  
  
He stopped writing at once, and turned around to face her. His grey eyes held looks of the utmost suspicion as he began to stand up. "How did you. . ."  
  
But before he could finish, her lips were pressed against his in a kiss that summed up the desperation that she felt for him in the span of seconds.  
  
She broke apart from him with bated breath. It was just as before, her knees her weakened as soon as she touched him.  
  
"You're not planning on going anywhere this time, are you?" he asked, drawing her closer to him.  
  
"Not this time," she said softly.  
  
"Good," he replied deviously.  
  
Not a moment later, he began to kiss her again, all traces of restraint gone. He slipped her robes off of her, and they fell to the floor with a light swoosh. He moved his kiss along her jaw line and down to her neck where he began to suck at it hungrily. Katie ran her fingers along the buttons of his perfectly white Oxford shirt. Quickly, she unbuttoned it and threw it unceremoniously aside. He looked up at her, seemingly surprised that she'd undressed him without him knowing, and set to work undoing her own top.  
  
Once he'd managed to rid her of the restricting blouse, he picked up her small frame and set it almost delicately on his bed. He looked her over, deliberating over what to take off of her next, but she didn't give him enough time to ponder as she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and kissed him with all of the contempt, confusion, and lust that she'd felt toward him since she first set herself in his services. Her tongue explored every inch of his heavenly mouth, as she willed her fingers to work at his belt.  
  
Seconds later, he pulled away from her yet again, his gaze unsure.  
  
"Why did you come here?" he asked heavily, his breath coming in gasps.  
  
She seductively stroked a stray piece of hair out of his eyes. "I had unfinished business to attend to," she purred.  
  
He grinned and kissed her again, and she smiled against his lips, blessedly prepared for what the night would bring. 


End file.
